AUBURN — The School Committee voted 5-1 Wednesday to recommend to the City Council that a new Edward Little High School be built on the existing site, saying a substandard high school would continue to bring the city down.

The committee agreed with a recent conclusion of the New High School Steering Committee, which spent months studying which course of action to take.

There was no discussion Wednesday night about when a referendum should be held, how much the school would cost or how it would be paid for. Members agreed that in addition to asking local taxpayers to pay for the construction, other measures must be explored.

Earlier estimates have shown that a new high school could cost between $50 million and $62 million, and no state funding is available.

Those voting for a new school building were Bonnie Hayes, William Horton, David Young, Laurie Tannenbaum and Francois Bussiere. Tracey Levesque voted against the proposal, saying taxpayers on fixed incomes can’t afford it.

“Yes, horrible school. We need to do something,” Levesque said. “But to locally fund this and put this on fixed-income budgets, I feel, is selfish for us to think we can do this to so many residents.”

People are leaving Auburn because they can’t afford to stay, she said. “There are three houses on the market on my street alone.”

Young said he shared Levesque’s fear that for some, a new school would be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Hayes argued that Auburn is in a Catch-22. She hears of people moving out or sending their children to St. Dominic or North Yarmouth academy. “I don’t want my property taxes going up,” she said, but she also doesn’t want her grandchild “going away.”

The community allowed the high school, built in the early 1960s, to be under-funded, and it wasn’t maintained through the years, Horton said. Without a decent high school, people will not move in, and businesses will not come, he said.

Auburn Superintendent Katy Grondin said more citizens ought to get involved to help find alternative ways of paying for the new school.

“It’s not going to take five people doing it — it’s going to take thousands of us doing it,” Grondin said. Efforts will include penny jars on store counters, fundraising and talking to businesses and politicians. “We are not saying, ‘We want $62 million and you have to pay for it.’ That’s ridiculous.”

She and others said if a new school is built, businesses will come, real estate sales will go up and empty houses will be filled.

Citizen Mike Ouellette objected, saying no one has given real numbers and that other schools in Auburn also need repairs. He doesn’t buy the “if you build it, they will come” mentality, he said.

Parent Levi Gervais praised the recommendation for a new school. No one wants higher taxes, he said, but even if Auburn does nothing, “taxes will go up.” If something isn’t done, EL will lose its accreditation, which is now on probation. That would hurt the local economy because no one would move to a community without an accredited high school.

Jaimie Ward, who described herself as a proud EL graduate with a doctorate degree, said compared to other schools, the school is “kind of grimy” but provides a good education. When she has children, she wants them to go to Edward Little. But asking local taxpayers to pay $62 million would be “outlandish,” she said. She asked officials to look at “what’s feasible.”

In presenting the recommendation, Steering Committee President Tom Kendall said when Edward Little was built in 1961, it was not properly constructed. “It was a mistake.” A well-built school should last 100 years. He doesn’t want to see that mistake repeated.